It Can Work For You! Chap 4
by Chornyi
Summary: Chapter 4 in my humor story.. Only 1 more to go. R for language.


It Can Work For You!  
  
By Chornyi  
  
Not mine.. Not even Ian, unfortunately. You know whose they are.  
  
Only one more chapter after this one! Hope it is enjoyed.. after this, back to my more serious work.  
  
..................................................................................  
  
Chapter 4- Overcome Denial  
  
-'Others will have a hard time seeing and accepting the new you... You must persist despite opposition. Perseverence is the only path toward true happiness! Do not accept failure. There will always be those who refuse to see you as you are, but in their adversity you will find your own strength.'-   
  
Back at the mansion, Ian sits down on the couch, removes his cowboy hat and takes out his precious book. Turning the pages carefully, he opens it to chapter 4.   
  
The first paragraph goes straight to his heart.   
  
This is exactly what has happened to him all along with Sara!   
  
She DID refuse to see him. But now he has a chance. If her phone hadn't rang just then...  
  
He shivers at how close he came to getting what he wants more then anything.   
  
A kiss.   
  
Sara unable to resist him, just as he is unable to resist her.  
  
Her to finally admit she loves him.  
  
All those things could have happened, and more, if he'd just had a few seconds longer.  
  
He wonders where she is right now, what she is doing. Is she thinking of him?  
  
Will she seek him out, now, to finish what she started, or will he have to go in search of her?  
  
He sighs and leans back on the couch, holding the book in his bare hands. They feel strange without his gloves on, but it's not a bad feeling.  
  
He looks down at his boots, admiring the pointed toes and tooled stitching. The cuffs of his jeans are tucked inside the tops of the boots.  
  
He noticed Sara noticing his jeans. It seems this outfit he picked was a good idea.  
  
He couldn't resist it.   
  
He always wanted to be a cowboy when he was a child. A crusader for justice, just like John Wayne, who would ride into town and win the battle of good versus evil.  
  
After a while, Irons made him stop watching the Westerns because he said they clouded Ian's judgement and made him question his directives.  
  
But he never forgot his long ago desire to emulate the Duke, and when the book asked him to pick a new image, that's what surfaced.   
  
He wonders if maybe he could ask Sara to call him 'Duke'. He hates it when she calls him by his last name, and she doesn't seem to want to use his first name..  
  
Ian is tired. Leaning his head on the back of the couch, he relaxes, holding the book against his chest. His eyes drift shut, and he sleeps.  
  
...  
  
Sara stands in front of the door to Irons (now Ian's) mansion and knocks for the second time. It is the first time she has been here since Irons'... demise, and she feels a little uncomfortable.  
  
'C'mon, Nottingham, open up!' she mutters irritably. She gives the door another rap, but is answered only by silence.  
  
'Shit! I know he's in there. Probably just doesn't want to see me.'   
  
Can she blame him, after this morning? They both know she was about to kiss him before Jake called. And then she just left. Left him standing there.  
  
Well, it was a mistake. He shouldn't have worn that damn cowboy getup.   
  
Making her forget what she knows all to well.  
  
It is his own fault.  
  
Well, she is here to tell him that what happened this morning will NOT be happening again. It was a moment of temporary insanity, and they both need to forget it.  
  
So why won't he answer the door?  
  
Because he's avoiding her, that's why.  
  
Sara lifts her fist and gives the door a hard final blow.  
  
To her surprise, it creaks and swings open.  
  
Sara only takes a minute to deliberate before stepping over the threshold. She's not going far, she just wants to find Nottingham, say her piece and get out.  
  
If she doesn't find him in the living room, she is out of here.   
  
She follows her memories of the mansion's layout to the large, cavernous room that holds a full-size black leather couch and a home theater system.  
  
As soon as she steps inside, she sees Ian and realizes why he didn't answer the door.  
  
He is asleep.   
  
Lying against the couch cushions with his head propped up on the back and his legs stretched out along the floor.  
  
It is the first time she has ever seen the assassin relaxed.  
  
She walks quietly closer, until she can look down at him.  
  
She is close enough to see his long dark eyelashes, his lips framed in a small smile.  
  
He is still wearing the jeans and plaid shirt as well as the cowboy boots, but he has removed the hat and vest.   
  
His long, wavy, gold-streaked dark hair is loose around his face- one strand has made its way across his lips and quivers with his breath.  
  
Sara has to make a concious effort to breathe.   
  
Maybe coming here was a bad idea.  
  
Then she sees the book held against his chest, partially covered by his folded hands.  
  
She leans closer to see the title and reads...  
  
--- 


End file.
